AirMini does qualify for insurance compliance...

All - I wanted to share a success story for me that culminated today in case any of you can benefit from it in the future

The background is, I bought an AirMini to use when I travel about six month ago but I hadn't really had a chance to use it for anything other than a long weekend until last month when I took it with me on a two week trip to Tahiti (the thing works great for me by the way - runs the same mask I use with my main machine - I know I'm lucky there - hopefully their mask support increases as time goes by). Anyway, the "issue" arose when I returned from my trip and was ready to get my three month supply of equipment (hoses, cushions, filters, etc.) but my medical supplier balked because they said my compliance number was unusually down (I normally have no problem with that as I use my home machine every night - I get good therapy from my current set up and I'm very happy about that - it took some effort to get it all working for me). So I bring up the fact that I've been on this trip and used my AirMini with my medical supplier and their first reaction is "oh, that device doesn't count towards your compliance time so you'll have to wait to get your supplies". That doesn't seem right to me, so I start a little research of my own

The first link I send them is this 2017 announcement indicating the AirMini has added "remote patient monitoring" to it's features:

https://www.multivu.com/players/English ... w-enabled/

And then I also point them at this official Resmed portal that looks to me like a DME could log in and see my data (oh, and there IS a slider in the AirMini phone app software that says "Upload sleep data: Allow the AirMini app to automatically upload my data to the cloud" which I had always had toggled to the "on" position - that would be something important to verify) - and it lists the AirMini as a qualifying device:

https://www.resmed.com/us/en/healthcare ... ystem.html

So, with some persistence on my part my DME had a "tech" from their end call me back, and after providing the serial number on my AirMini and a few other pieces of identifying information, she was able to set up an account for me on the Resmed site and low and behold she could see all my data from last month sitting there waiting to be viewed - yay!

Hope this info is useful to anyone that finds themselves in a similar boat - remember, we are often our best (and sometimes only) advocates so don't give up - Roger

You are being crapped on by your DME and INS one or both, once you meet compliance, you have meant it, after that who cares. My doctor doesn't ask, never has... Jim

Hahahaha - well Jim - I don’t feel like I’m getting “crapped on” by anyone - but thanks for your comment Sounds like you are luckier than some of us whom “compliance” means our insurance wants to see we use our equipment regularly and consistently through the years in return for them covering the cost of our equipment (mine covers 90%). If your insurance just covers you no matter how often you use your equipment then you are lucky indeed (especially in this day and age and with how crappy many US insurance companies have become) and good for you!

rogerconnelly wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:18 pm

So I bring up the fact that I've been on this trip and used my AirMini with my medical supplier and their first reaction is "oh, that device doesn't count towards your compliance time so you'll have to wait to get your supplies". That doesn't seem right to me, so I start a little research of my own
.....
So, with some persistence on my part my DME had a "tech" from their end call me back, and after providing the serial number on my AirMini and a few other pieces of identifying information, she was able to set up an account for me on the Resmed site and low and behold she could see all my data from last month sitting there waiting to be viewed - yay!

Which just goes to emphasize rule #1 when dealing with DMEs...

They lie, whether through greed, malice, ignorance or incompetence... they lie... don't believe anything they tell you, verify everything.

Once I hit my 90 days, no one cares on my compliance. I called my insurance company to check. I use my back up machine when I go visit my daughter in Vegas it is not hooked to the Dme or my insurance as I bought it privately. Neither the insurance company or my DME has ever said a word. I changed my own pressures on my main machine and not even the doctor noticed when I went in for my last checkup.